The Adelaide Question
by NancyMay
Summary: So what did happen in Adelaide? Maybe it went a little like this! Longer than planned, sorry.


**This is a silly suggestion, another way of answering the 'Adelaide Question'. What if something had happened in Adelaide. Of course season 4 would have been completely different, and 4.4 would have been a real shocker if part of the same story line was followed!**

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'Lucien, you're back!' Mattie squealed as he entered the house. 'Why didn't you tell us? How's Jean? Is she coming back?'

'Hello to you too, Mattie. Jean is fine, yes she's coming back, when Ruby's settled with the baby.' He grinned, hugging her. He was glad to be back, though he would have preferred to bring Jean back with him.

Mrs Toohey was in the kitchen, cooking dinner presumably. Unlike Jean she didn't automatically make tea when anyone came in so Lucien had to ask for some.

'Will you be in for dinner, Doctor?' she asked, an instant chill settling over the kitchen.

'Er, probably not tonight, thank you, Mrs Toohey.' Jean had told him to be a bit nicer to the woman when he'd told her how difficult she was to get on with and how awful her cooking was. He'd eaten at the club as often as possible since Jean had left and gone to the hotel. But he hadn't had to suffer like Mattie and Charlie, because he had caught up with Jean on the bus and gone with her to Adelaide. He smiled at the thought.

'Penny for them,' Mattie teased.

'Um!?' he looked up, he'd been sworn to secrecy, 'oh, nothing.' He went into his study to catch up on any notes the locum had left. He sat, daydreaming, playing with something under his tie.

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Back in Adelaide Jean was lying on her bed, also smiling. Lucien had followed her, got on the bus with her. He'd had to stay in a hotel, there wasn't room at Christopher's, but she could see him every day. She always found an excuse to take the baby out for a walk in the pram, they'd meet, and, because they were away from the prying eyes of Ballarat, hold hands or link arms as they walked through the city, or the park, or anywhere as long as they were together. He'd taken her out to dinner several times, Christopher used to raise his eyebrows if she was in late. Honestly it was worse than living with her parents. It was on one of these late returns she admitted to Christopher and Ruby that Lucien had proposed and she had accepted. They would be married as soon as possible, but before Lucien went home.

'Why the rush?' Christopher asked suspiciously, surely his mum wasn't...

'Why wait?' she'd answered innocently, knowing full well what he thought.

It was a bit of a rush to organise a wedding, but it was done at the City Hall. She would have liked a church ceremony but she was just happy to be Mrs Jean Blake.

They just had time for one night in a hotel before Lucien had to get back to work in Ballarat. It had been one wonderful night, after so long for both of them they could now do what Ballarat suspected them of doing all along.

Jean had made Lucien promise he wouldn't say anything when he got back. He indicated his new wedding ring, he'd not worn one when he was married to Mei Lin. She gave him a chain so he could wear it round his neck until she came home.

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The next couple of weeks passed quickly, but, Lucien thought, not quickly enough. He could only think of the day she would come back and they could tell everybody their news. He would spend his private moments, fingering his ring, gazing at it as if he could see his wife, yes his wife! through the middle.

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Jean floated about Christopher's house in a haze of pure bliss. Ruby thought it was lovely, so romantic; it drove Christopher mad! He didn't have a high opinion of Blake at the best of times, and this, apparently, was the best of times.

She rang Lucien as often as possible, without raising suspicion at the house, but she could always pretend she wanted to talk to Mattie, who would obviously passed her onto Blake each time.

One evening she rang with the news he wanted to hear.

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'Blake,' Lucien answered the phone in his study.

'Can you meet me off the late train tomorrow, darling.' She'd never called him darling before, he floated two feet off the ground!

Knowing full well that walls, or Mattie and Charlie, had ears he casually said, 'Certainly, that would be fine.'

'Somebody listening?' she smiled down the phone, he could see it.

'Highly likely.' He answered, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

'Right then.' She put the phone down.

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Jean howled with laughter at the thought of Lucien trying to keep a straight face.

'So you're off tomorrow, then.' Christopher said.

'I told you I would be going as soon as Ruby was settled.' She said, he could be quite impossible sometimes, 'He is my husband.'

Truth be told, Ruby had made a great effort to sort herself out and show Jean she could look after Amelia and Christopher. She wanted Jean to have the happiness she deserved. Ruby, Jean thought, was a bit of a dark horse.

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Lucien stood on the platform waiting for the train. He had taken the ring off the chain and put it on his finger, where it would stay until the day he died. She alighted near the back of the train, carrying the two cases she had taken from Ballarat almost five weeks ago. She stood there looking down the platform at him, and he at her. Then, neither could help it, she dropped her cases and they ran into each other's arms. To hell with what people would say. He picked her up and swung her round, and as he put her down gently, kissed her, longer and deeper than was seemly.

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They pulled into the drive, the house was in darkness. Opening the car door for her and taking her cases he followed her to the door. Unlocking the door, he pushed the cases in and then swung her up into his arms to carry her across the threshold.

'Lucien,' she whispered, 'put me down!'

'As you wish,' but not until he had carried her into his, now, their room.

'My cases.' She started to take off her coat.

She heard the door latch click into place and he came to her side.

Pulling her into his arms he proceeded to touch, taste, explore her. Removing the layers as she did for him, slowly becoming the husband and wife they had so longed to be.

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Jean stretched out, looking over at her still sleeping husband, she smiled, remembering how he had made her feel the previous night. There were no words to describe how he had made love to her; tenderly but urgently, slowly and deeply.

She untangled herself from his limbs and the sheet and, opening her suitcase she put on a nightdress and dressing gown. New ones, Lucien had ceremonially consigned her old pink, candlewick dressing gown to the bin at Christopher's, she had treated herself to one or two pretty nightdresses, that after last night, she was sure she would not be wearing much!

She went to the kitchen and made some tea. She went into the sun room to see how her plants were doing. Lucien crept up behind her, skilfully taking the cup out of her hand before she dropped it, and took her over to the seat. He took her into his arms and they slipped into a deep kiss. Which was how Mattie found them. Looking into the sun room she saw Lucien's back bending over something or someone, and she didn't recognise the silver grey satin dressing gown the arms that were round his neck were clad in.

Her sharp intake of breath brought Jean's face just over Lucien's shoulder, with a slightly embarrassed smile she greeted her friend.

'Morning, Mattie, there's some tea made if you want it.'

Mattie actually thought a measure of Lucien's whisky would have been a better idea. What did they think they were doing. Wasn't there enough gossip about them.

'Jean, when did you get back?' She gasped.

'Last night.' Jean tried to sound casual, actually she wanted to laugh at Mattie's shocked expression. Lucien turned round, a big grin on his face.

'Ah, morning, Mattie. Of course you know my wife, don't you?'

'Your wife!' her mouth wide with shock.

'What!' a voice from behind her. Charlie had heard the voices in the sun room and had come to see what the trouble was, 'Since when?'

'Two weeks ago.' said Lucien, 'the day before I came back.'

'Why didn't you say anything?' Mattie went over to kiss them both.

'Under strict orders,' Lucien nodded towards Jean. 'Can't disobey the boss, now can I?' A twinkle in his eye.

Jean just let him revel in his moment. He was having so much fun, and truthfully, so was she.

'Just wait 'til you hear the gossip round town,' she said. 'Dr Blake apparently collected his housekeeper from the station and, horror of horrors, kissed her, right there on the station platform!'

'That's going to be interesting.' Said Charlie.

'I know, and for once I'm going to enjoy taking them down a peg or two.' Jean had found the gossip about her and Lucien hard to bear, especially when there was no truth in it, now she could deflate them with a wave of her left hand; new rings and right hand the ring Christopher had given her on their wedding day all those years ago. Lucien had suggested she wear it there to remember him, he didn't mind, she was never going to forget him as he would always remember Mei Lin. That was the past, they had a future to look forward to.


End file.
